Preperation
Preparing the skin before getting henna done can really help the henna saturate deeply into the layers of your skin, ensuring a deeper, darker and longer lasting stain. Exfoliate the area a few days before, removing any dead skin cells. Simple things you can use to exfoliate would be: used coffee grounds, coarse salt or sugar mixed with a carrier oil (grapeseed, jojoba, coconut, olive, etc). The day of your henna appointment, make sure to wash well with soap and water and DO NOT put any moisturizer on the area when finished. This can create a barrier and make it harder for the henna to saturate the skin.
Henna DOES pull on hairs, and this can be painful when you remove the henna. It's also harder to get the henna to make contact with the skin because the hairs like to hold it up. If you want the henna on a particularly hairy area, it may be beneficial to shave or wax the area before hand.
Henna DOES pull on hairs, and this can be painful when you remove the henna. It's also harder to get the henna to make contact with the skin because the hairs like to hold it up. If you want the henna on a particularly hairy area, it may be beneficial to shave or wax the area before hand.
After Care
Once your henna is dry, it is sometimes helpful to spray or dab it with a mixture of lemon juice and sugar. This helps the henna stick to the skin and keeps it from drying out too quickly.
Leave your henna on as long as possible (6 hours minimum - 14 hours maximum), preferably overnight. It may be helpful to wrap the area or put a sock or glove on over the area. (See video above)
Henna loves heat. Keeping the area of your body the henna is on nice and warm will also help the stain saturate the skin. For extra credit, you can use light steam to help re-wet the henna or sit next to a warm fire. Use common sense - don't burn yourself.
Avoid washing or getting the area wet for 24 hours. After this, protect with salve, shea butter, or anything that will help "bead off" the water and only wash by gently using soap and water - avoid exfoliation of the area until you are ready to see it go away.
When you are ready to remove the henna, scrape it off either over a sink or outside. It is sometimes helpful to use a butter knife, spoon or towel (that you don't mind staining).
The initial stain will be a light to pumpkin orange and then darken up over the next 24-48 hours. Different parts of the skin stain differently. Calloused skin tends to stain the darkest (so, the bottom of hands and feet) and the lightest will be upper arms, legs, backs, etc. It's also important to mention that skin type can also play a role in the stain. Everyone's skin will stain, it's just a matter of how dark and how long it lasts.
Leave your henna on as long as possible (6 hours minimum - 14 hours maximum), preferably overnight. It may be helpful to wrap the area or put a sock or glove on over the area. (See video above)
Henna loves heat. Keeping the area of your body the henna is on nice and warm will also help the stain saturate the skin. For extra credit, you can use light steam to help re-wet the henna or sit next to a warm fire. Use common sense - don't burn yourself.
Avoid washing or getting the area wet for 24 hours. After this, protect with salve, shea butter, or anything that will help "bead off" the water and only wash by gently using soap and water - avoid exfoliation of the area until you are ready to see it go away.
When you are ready to remove the henna, scrape it off either over a sink or outside. It is sometimes helpful to use a butter knife, spoon or towel (that you don't mind staining).
The initial stain will be a light to pumpkin orange and then darken up over the next 24-48 hours. Different parts of the skin stain differently. Calloused skin tends to stain the darkest (so, the bottom of hands and feet) and the lightest will be upper arms, legs, backs, etc. It's also important to mention that skin type can also play a role in the stain. Everyone's skin will stain, it's just a matter of how dark and how long it lasts.
**We use completely safe, natural and non-toxic ingredients. If you have any allergies or sensitivities, please let us know when you set up your appointment. If you want an ingredient list, please just ask.
Photo used under Creative Commons from josh-rodriguez
